Thomas County School Hires Fall in Line With Gov. Perdue's Goals

Thomas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Green is wrapping up his search for two new principals, a process he says is very important.

Dr. Larry Green says, "The landscape has changed now in that the principal must be the instructional leader of the school, meaning they must have command of the curriculum, command of the instruction, at the same time respect of the people that are going to be working with them."

In last week's State of the State Address, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue unveiled his education plan to recruit what he calls "high performance principals."

Debra Knight, an incoming principal for Thomas County Middle School, says, "The most important characteristics that I think one can bring is passion, and that's passion for the love of children and passion for the job and passion for why you do what you do."

Knight, along with Jeanna Mayhall, will be two of Thomas County's newest principals.

Retirements created openings at two county schools, and Dr. Green says he's found two great examples of "high performance" principals.

Jeanna Mayhall says, "I want to change the face of the principal by being in the classroom a lot and being more actively involved in the classroom with the instruction and the teachers."

With passion and involvement as hallmarks, early signs show that Thomas County's newest principals are in line with the state's desire for "high performance" leaders, performance they hope will trickle down from the top.

The incoming principals at Hand-in-Hand Primary School and Thomas County Middle officially assume their new roles this summer.

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